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The idioms and expressions below are some of the most common in
English. The example sentences show how idioms are used in context.
Have fun!
1. as easy as pie means "very easy" (same as "a piece of cake")
Example: He said it is a difficult problem, but I don't agree. It seems as
easy as pie to me!
2. be sick and tired of means "I hate" (also "can't stand")
Example: I'm sick and tired of doing nothing but work. Let's go out
tonight and have fun.
3. bend over backwards means "try very hard" (maybe too much!)
Example: He bent over backwards to please his new wife, but she never
seemed satisfied.
4. bite off more than one can chew means "take responsibility for more
than one can manage"
Example: John is so far behind in his studies. Besides classes, he plays
sports and works at a part-time job. It seems he has bitten off more
than he can chew.
5. broke means "to have no money"
Example: I have to borrow some money from my Dad. Right now, I'm
broke.
6. change one's mind means "decide to do something different from
what had been decided earlier"
Example: I was planning to work late tonight, but I changed my mind. I'll
do extra work on the weekend instead.
7. Cut it out! means "stop doing something bad"
Example: That noise is really annoying. Cut it out!
8. drop someone a line means "send a letter or email to someone"
Example: It was good to meet you and I hope we can see each other
again. Drop me a line when you have time.
9. figure something out means "come to understand a problem"
Example: I don't understand how to do this problem. Take a look at it.
Maybe you can figure it out.
10. fill in for someone means "do their work while they are away"
Example: While I was away from the store, my brother filled in for me.
11. in ages means "for a very long time"
Example: Have you seen Joe recently? I haven't seen him in ages.
12. give someone a hand means "help"
Example: I want to move this desk to the next room. Can you give me a
hand?
13. hit the hay means "go to bed" (also "hit the sack")
Example: It's after 12 o'clock. I think it's time to hit the hay.
14. in the black means "the business is making money, it is profitable"
Example: Our business is really improving. We've been in the black all
year.
15. in the red means "the business is losing money, it is unprofitable"
Example: Business is really going poorly these days. We've been in the
red for the past three months.
16. in the nick of time means "not too late, but very close!"
Example: I got to the drugstore just in the nick of time. It's a good
thing, because I really need this medicine!
17. keep one's chin up means "remain brave and keep on trying"
Example: I know things have been difficult for you recently, but keep
your chin up. It will get better soon.
18. know something like the back of your hand means "know something
very, very well"
Example: If you get lost, just ask me for directions. I know this part of
town like the back of my hand.
19. once in a while means "sometimes, not very often"
Example: Have you been to the new movie theater? No, only see movies
once in a while. I usually stay home and watch TV.
20. sharp means "exactly at a that time"
Example: I'll meet you at 9 o'clock sharp. If you're late, we'll be in
trouble!
21. sleep on it means "think about something before making a decision"
Example: That sounds like a good deal, but I'd like to sleep on it before
I give you my final decision.
22. take it easy means "relax"
Example: I don't have any special plans for the summer. I think I'll just
take it easy.
23. to get the ball rolling means "start something, especially something
big"
Example: We need to get this project started as soon as possible. I'm
hoping you will help me get the ball rolling.
24. up to the minute means "the most recent information"
Example: I wish I knew more about what is happening in the capital city.
We need more up to the minute news.
25. twenty-four/seven means "every minute of every day, all the time"
Example: You can access our web site 24/7. It's very convenient!
26. all of a sudden means "unexpectedly", used to describe something
that happens very quickly
Example: He had just gone to bed when all of a sudden the phone rang.
27. be all ears means "eager and ready to listen"
Example: Go ahead and speak. I'm all ears!
28. be fed up with means "to hate something now, even though I may
have liked it before"
Example: I'm fed up with my job! I think I should start looking for a new
one.
29. to bug means "to bother someone". (American English)
Example: Hey, stop tapping your fingers. It's really bugging me!
30. a cinch means something that is very easy to do
Example: I didn't think I could run five kilometers, but with the right
preparation, it was a cinch.
31. cost an arm and a leg means "very expensive"
Example: I'd really like a new car, but they all cost an arm and a leg.
32. to cram means "to study hard a few days before a test"
Example: If you had studied hard for the past four months, you wouldn't
have to cram so much this weekend.
33. fresh out of something means "to have no more of something"
Example: I have to go buy some more milk. It seems we're fresh out now.
34. to get it (often negative) means "to understand"
Example: What did the teacher say? I didn't get it. Did you?
35. got a minute? means "Do you have time right now?"
Example: Hey, Joe, got a minute? I have something to show you.
36. give someone a hand means "help someone"
Example: Could you give me a hand moving this table? It's quite heavy.
37. grab a bite to eat means "quickly go get something to eat"
Example: I'm going to go grab a bite. I'll be back in a few minutes.
38. drive someone up a wall (or "drive someone crazy") means "to make
someone very angry"
Example: My neighbor practices the piano every night, but he's terrible.
It's driving me up the wall!
39. to hang on means "to wait"
Example: Hang on a few minutes. I have to make a phone call and then
I'll be able to join you for lunch.
40. hard headed means "stubborn" or "unwilling to change an opinion or
idea
Example: I can't work with Joe any more. He's so hard headed!
41. have a change of heart means "change a previous decision"
Example: I thought I would change jobs, but now that my boss is treating
me with more respect, I've had a change of heart.
42. have mixed feelings about something means "to be uncertain"
Example: I have mixed feelings about Joe. He's a very good teacher, but
he has a very strange sense of humor!
43. head out for means "to start on a long trip" (but it could be within a
big city)
Example: We're heading out for the countryside to pick some apples.
Would you like to join us?
44. How come? means "Why?"
Example: How come we don't go to the movies any more? I guess we're
too busy to enjoy ourselves these days.
45. keep in touch (or "stay in touch") means "do not stop communicating -
send letters or call sometimes"
Example: Don't forget to keep in touch. I want to know how you're doing
while you're away.
46. be kidding means "to joke or tease someone in a playful way"
Example: No, I don't really have three wives - I was just kidding!
47. look down on means "think somone or something is not good enough"
Example: We shouldn't look down on people just because they don't have
as much money as we do.
48. make ends meet (often used negatively) means "to have enough
money to buy everything we need"
Example: Even though I make more money than last year, we just can't
seem to make ends meet.
49. miss the boat means "to miss an opportunity"
Example: The sale ends today at noon. If we don't hurry, we're going to
miss the boat!
50. next to nothing means "to cost very little"
Example: I went to the new discount store and bought these new shoes
for only five dollars. That's next to nothing!
House idioms
51. safe as houses means "very safe"
Example: this plan is as safe as houses. It can't fail!
52. Get on like a house on fire means "get on very well with someone"
Example: those two get on like a house on fire.
53. Give house room to means" give space in your house to something"
Example: I wouldn't give a house room to that lamp. It's horrible!
54. Eat someone out of house and home means" eat a lot of food"
Example: When they stayed with me, they ate me out of house and home!
55. Get a foot on the housing ladder means "mange to buy your first
house so that you can buy a bigger second one later"
Example: Its becoming more difficult for young people to get a foot on
the housing ladder.
56.Be on the house means "be free(in a restaurant)"
Example: Can I get your drink in a house?
57.Get your own house in order means "tidy up your own affairs before
criticizing other people's"
Example: you should get your own house in order before telling me what
to do!
58. Have a roof over your head means "have somewhere to live"
Example: Unless we find an other flat to rent, we won't have a roof over
our heads in two months time!
59. Build Castles in the air means "have impossible dreams or plans"
Example: she has this unrealistic idea of sailing around the world. She is
building castles in the air again!
60. Lead someone up the garden path means "deceive someone"
Example: He really led her up the garden path with his promises of
promotion and career advancement.
61.every thing but the kitchen sink means "take a lot of thing when u go
somewhere"
Example: They took every thing but the kitchen sing when they went on a
holiday.
62. Throw money down the drain means "waste money"
Example: If u ask me, by giving your son all that money, you are really
throwing your money down the drain.
63. Have a skeleton in the cupboard/closet means "have unpleasant
secret"
Example: They are a lot of skeleton in their cupboard.
64. Housework means "chores you do in the house"
Example: She does all the housework.
65. House music means "a type of dance"
Example: They played house all night at the club.
66.Make your self at home means "make yourself comfortable"
Example: Make yourself at home; can I get u a drink?
67. Homework means "school exercises that u do at home"
Example: Our teacher gives us a ton of homework.
68. Homesick means "when u misses your home"
Example: He went away for two weeks, but wasn’t terribly homesick.
69.Break the ice means "relax and start conversation in formal
situation-beging a difficult conversation in a relaxed note"
Example: Nobody was enjoying the party until the host finally was able to
break the ice. - The interviewer broke the ice by asking how I had
arrived.
70.Back out means "Used when someone withdraws from an agreement or
promise unexpectedly at the last moment"
Example: I'm afraid I'm going to have to back out of our appointment for
this afternoon, I'm just too busy. - They backed out of their purchase of
the new property a week before the sale was to go through.
71.Bank on means "be sure of, count on; depend on someone; put one's
trust in someone- Used when talking about someone or something that you
can always depend on in any situation."
Example: You can bank on them to come and help the company. - He
banked on his usual business partners.
72.Behind the times means "Used when showing someone is out of touch
with the current times"
Example: My uncle is a little behind the times. - Oh Jack, you are so
behind the times! Get with it!
73.Bite the hand that feeds u means "turn against a friend or
supporter; repay kindness with wrong"
Example: He is biting the hand that feeds him if he continues to criticize
and fight against his superiors. - Remember to not bite the hand that
feeds you when speaking to your parents.
74.blow it means "fail at something-Often used when success seemed
probable but was not achieved at the last moment"
Example: I tried hard but I am sure that I blew the history exam last
week. - If I don't work hard I'm going to blow my lead.
75.blue in the face means" very angry or upset; very emotional
Example: He went blue in the face when discussing the faults of his boss.
- I became blue in the face when expressing my displeasure with her.
76.Bone of connection means" a reason for quarrels, the subject of a
fight; a point of disagreement"
Example: The family property was a major bone of contention when their
father died. - She just wouldn't drop her bone of contention of his past
behavior.
77.Break down means " stop working because of mechanical failure; loose
control emotionally"
Example: The car broke down on the freeway. - She was so desperate
that she broke down and had to go home for the day.
78.Break the bank means" take all the money available"
Example: I'm afraid a new car would break the bank. - He broke the bank
at the race track!
79.bring some new facts to light means" discover some new facts;
make some new facts known about something"
Example: Our research team has brought some new facts to light about
the distribution chain. - I hope you can bring some new facts
to light soon!
80.bring up means" introduce a subject into a discussion
; men
tion
something- Used when introducing a new topic into a discussion"
Example: I'd like to bring up our new addition to the product line. - Do
you have any other topics you'd like to bring up?
81.Burn down means" burn completely (usually used for buildings)"
Example: The neighbor`s house burnt down completely during the night. -
Those boys burnt the barn down because they were playing with fire.
82.Burn up means" burn completely- Used when talking about things, not
buildings"
Example: The ********s burned up in the fire. - I'm afraid all of our
equipment burned up in the fire.
83.by and large means" Used when speaking about a general opinion or
impression"
Example: By and large we had a good visit in Tuscany. - I think they
agreed with our point of view by and large.
84.by and by means" before long; slowly but surely- Used when speaking
about something that happens over time"
Example: Have patience! By and by it will happen. - We found a new house
by and by.
85.by far means" greatly; superior- Used when explaining that something
or someone is much more superior to others"
Example: He is by far the smartest person in the class. - That car is by
far the best buy on the market.
86.by the way means" Used when introducing a new subject to the
conversation"
Example: By the way, could you give John a ring and see if he is coming? -
By the way, have you seen their new house?
87.a head of time means" to be before the scheduled time-Used when
something is done before a desired moment. Also used when a person is
considered advanced compared to other people. "
Example: Einstein was definitely ahead of his time. - If you don't slow
down you'll finish that project ahead of time.
88.as long as means"on the condition that; only in the case of "
Example: As long as you study hard, you should have no problem passing
the exam. - He'll be fine as long as he gets a lot of rest.
89.as well as means" including; in addition to-Used to add something to a
list of things or actions"
Example: You'll need strong boots as well as your backpack. - John, Jack
and Sam are coming as well as our friends from Boston
90.at heart means" basically; fundamentally-Used when showing contrast
to a commonly held opinion about someone"
Example: She is really a good person at heart. - Don't let him bother you.
He's doesn't mean it at heart.
91.at the end of one's rope means" desperate; not knowing what to do
next -Used when a person is in a very difficult situation and does not
know how to resolve that situation"
Examples: I just don't know what to do. I'm at the end of my rope. -
She's at the end of her rope over the divorce.
92. Call of means "cancel an appointment or arrangement of some kind"
Examples: I called off our contract because of the bad workmanship
presented. - Jane called off their marriage at the last moment.
93. call on means "visit someone formally"
Examples: May I call on you next week? - She called on her ex-boss while
visiting her old town.
94.call on means "ask someone in class to answer a question-Used in an
academic setting"
Examples: The teacher called on Michael three times during the last
lesson. - My teacher never calls on me!
95.call up means "telephone-Quite common verb used instead of
'telephone'"
Examples: I called them up and they said they were ready to go. - Could
you call Jack up and see if he is coming tonight?
96. Can't see the forest for the trees means" overly concerned with
detail; not understanding the whole situation-Used when expressing that
a person is focusing too much on specific problems and is missing the
point"
Examples: I'm afraid you can't see the forest for the trees. - He often
can't see the forest for the trees and needs to have the most relevant
points explained to him.
97. Carry on means "continue doing something-Often used when some
action is interrupted to signal a return to the previous action"
Examples: Could I please carry on with my work now? - Sorry to have
disturbed you, please carry on.
98. Carry something out means "put a plan into action; perform a series
of actions-Often used in business settings"
Examples: We carried the new plan out with very few problems. - He
carried out his plans to get into an excellent university.
99.carry over means "continue a current situation at a future date-Used
when connecting two events over time or places"
Examples: We carried our meeting over to the next week. - We carried
their designs over to the new line of products.
100. Carry through means "put a plan into action; effect a plan-Used
when talking about a plan, often strongly disputed, into action"
Examples: He carried through with the restructuring of the company. - I
can't believe you are going to carry through with your plans!
101. catch on means " understand; learn something new- Used when
speaking about a person's ability to learn, often quickly"
Examples: Jane is really smart, she really catches on fast. - I'm afraid he
just can't catch on.
102. Catch on means "become popular; be faddish- Used when speaking
about fads that come and go quickly"
Examples: I can remember when pet rocks caught on in the States. -
Watching video clips over the Internet has been catching on at our
school.
103. catch one's breath means " relax for a moment; regain a normal
composure- Often used when talking resting after strong physical
exercise"
Examples: It took me a while to catch my breath after having run to
catch the bus. - Just a moment, I need to catch my breath before we
continue.
104. catch one's eye means " attract one`s attention; find especially
interesting- Used when noting something especially interesting or trying
to get someone to notice you"
Examples: That antique vase caught my eye and I just had to buy it. - She
tried to catch his eye in vain.
105. Catch a cold means" become sick with a cold; develop a runny nose,
cough and sore throat- Used when speaking about the common cold"
Examples: I caught a cold from Tom. - I spent too much time out in the
rain and caught a cold.
106. Cough short means "not have enough money to do something at that
moment; surprised by a lack of financial funds- Used when someone
unexpectedly does not have enough money to do something, often used in
embarrassing situations"
Examples: We went to lunch and I was caught short and had to ask Tom
to pay the bill. - I'm afraid I'm caught short. Could you lend me a few
dollars?
107. in charge of something means "to be responsible for; hold
responsibility for others- Used when speaking about the person taking
the responsibility for a project"
Examples: Jack is in charge of sales. - His mother put him in charge of
his sister for the day.
108. Cheat on someone means "be unfaithful to someone in a romantic
sense- Generally used in marital relationships, or in relationships where
the partners have declared fidelity to one another"
Examples: The divorce was caused by his cheating on his wife. - Many
long-term relationships are ruined by one partner cheating on the other
109. <Have the>cheek to do something means "rudeness, impudence;
boldness
-Used to talk about a person's boldness in a negative way"
Examples: I couldn't believe he actually had the cheek to come to the
party. - I don't think you have the cheek to play that joke on her.
110. Chip in means "contribute money; give money towards a joint
payment- Used when more than one person pays for something"
Examples: Could we all chip in about $10? - We all chipped in a few dollars
and bought her a birthday present.
111. day and night means "continually; 24 hours a day-Often used when
expressing that someone works continually to get something done"
Examples: We worked day and night to finish the project before the end
of the month. - That store is open day and night.
112. dead tired means "extremely tired; exhausted-Used when speaking
about exhaustion at the end of a long hard day"
Examples: We were dead tired when we got back from our trip to Las
Vegas. - He went straight to bed because he was dead tired.
113. DEEP WATER MEANS "serious trouble or difficulty-Used when
talking about a situation that is difficult to get out of"
Examples: Come here right now! You are in deep water indeed! - I'm
afraid I'm in a bit of deep water concerning that new contract.
114. die down means "weaken, calm down-Used when speaking about a
calm period after something very turbulent"
Examples: The bad press finally died down and we were able to get back
to work. - The last few months have been very difficult, but I think work
should die down some soon.
115. die off means "to die and not be replaced; to become extinct-Used
when speaking about extinction of animals and species as well as customs,
also used when speaking about diminishing numbers of things in your life
Examples: The old ways are slowing dying off as the global economy takes
over. - It seems like all my friends are dying off and I don't have anyone
to speak to anymore.
116.dig in means "begin eating-Used when informally saying 'enjoy your
meal'"
Examples: Don't wait for me, dig in! - We sat down to dinner and dug in.
117. do away with means "stop; get rid of-Often used when something
that has been standard is finally stopped after a long period"
Examples: They finally did away with that old slogan. - The company did
away with their line of luxury soaps.
118. done for means "ruined; have no chance at success-Used when
expressing the idea that something or someone has no chance of
recovering."
Examples: That sweater is done for, throw it out! - I'm afraid I'm done
for - I might as well give up!
119. do the honors means "perform a leading role; play the role of host-
Often used in a question to show respect to someone else."
Examples: Would you like to do the honors and pour everyone a glass of
wine? - He did the honors and spoke on behalf of his family.
120. do the trick means "provide a solution; give the desired result-
Often used when speaking about something that provides a solution even
though it may not have been intended for that purpose."
Examples: If we use a piece of cork it might stop the leaking and do the
trick. - His improvisation did the trick and saved the day.
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09-09-2007, 04:39 AM
120 of Common English Idioms 
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